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Coronary Progenitor Cells and Soluble Biomarkers in Cardiovascular Prognosis after Coronary Angioplasty
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Published on: January 28, 2020

Serum matrix metalloproteinase-9 and coronary heart disease: a prospective study in middle-aged men

P Welsh1, P H Whincup, O Papacosta

  • 1Division of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow.

QJM : Monthly Journal of the Association of Physicians
|August 5, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) shows a slight link to coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. This association weakens with adjustments for smoking and inflammation markers, suggesting MMP-9 is not a standalone CHD biomarker.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Disease Research
  • Biomarker Discovery
  • Inflammation and Hemostasis

Background:

  • Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is implicated in arterial plaque rupture.
  • The precise relationship between MMP-9 and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prospective association between serum MMP-9 levels and CHD risk in a general male population.
  • To determine if MMP-9 can serve as an independent predictor of incident CHD.

Main Methods:

  • A case-control study nested within a prospective cohort of 5661 men followed for 16 years.
  • Baseline serum MMP-9 levels were measured.
  • Coronary heart disease events were recorded for 465 cases and 1076 controls.

Main Results:

  • MMP-9 levels correlated with smoking and inflammatory/hemostatic markers.
  • Men in the highest MMP-9 third had a higher age-adjusted odds ratio (OR) for CHD (1.37).
  • This association became borderline significant (OR 1.28) after adjusting for smoking and further attenuated (OR 1.13) with inflammation markers (IL-6, CRP).

Conclusions:

  • Serum MMP-9 has a modest association with incident CHD.
  • This association is not independent of smoking and generalized inflammation markers.
  • MMP-9 is unlikely to be a clinically useful biomarker for CHD risk prediction.
Abstract

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